“Affirmative action” or “licit discrimination?” A Reflection on the Concept of Discrimination in the Legal System of Iran;case study of “Indigenous employments”

The literal meaning of “discrimination” does not imply whether it is positive concept or not, but in term of law it is a negative concept. “Positive discrimination” as an emerging concept of public law, has entered from comparative studies to the domestic debates. Due to some ambiguities about this concept, the constitutional legislator has used the concept of " legitimateness of discrimination", the theoretical development of which can pave the way for the realization of "justice" in the meaning intended by the constitutional legislator. So, the main question of the present inquiry is “to investigate the theoretical differences between positive discrimination and licit discrimination and the approach of the legal system of Iran to these concepts”, which has been studied by descriptive-analytical method. In the continue the relationship between “indigenous employments” and “licit discrimination” is explored as a case study. The results of this study showed that there is an inseparable relation between “licit discrimination” and “justice” in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The meaning of the “justice” is also close to the “proportionality”. “Positive discrimination” that rooted in “equality”, has no place in the legal system of Iran. In the case of Indigenous employments, each instance of employments should be presented on the concept of “licit discrimination” by considering the distinguish between Indigenous employment in normal and deprived areas. The procedure of the Court of Administrative Justice has also accepted this distinction.